Opening of new St John's Mercy mobile hospital in Joplin (Americas)

Updated 11.10am  Melbourne time 1/6

Within one week of the tornado hitting Joplin and St John's Regional Medical Center a 60-bed mobile hospital offering a full array of services, including emergency, surgery, imaging, lab and inpatient care and able to withstand 100 mile-per-hour winds, the facility opened for patients Sunday, May 29. This facility is named amed St. John’s Mercy Hospital.

It’s a symbol not only for the rebuilding of Mercy health care services in the southwest Missouri community, but also for the renewal of life and hope in an entire region. And maybe beyond.

The building is not St. John’s. St. John’s is the people who worked in that building. And they’re going to be the people in this building,” said Dr. Bob Dodson, who is working to help set up the temporary hospital across the parking lot from the regional medical center.

 The new St. John’s Mercy Hospital will be in operation until a more permanent facility can be constructed. That still-to-be constructed facility will then become the temporary home until new hospital campus is built.

This initial step will allow St. John’s Mercy Hospital to care for patients in much the same way it has in the past, according to Dr. Dodson. It has an emergency department, surgical suites, MRI and CT scan capabilities, pharmacy, and 60 inpatient beds.

“Six days after the event, we’re up and running,” Dr. Dodson said. “This hospital will allow us to do everything we could do within St. John’s, only on a smaller scale. Right now we’re offering 60 inpatient beds and we can expand if we need to, if our community needs dictate that.”

St. John’s Mercy Hospital is built to withstand 100 mph winds. And on the inside, it has many of the comforts of most hospitals.

“We’ll be able to do everything we need to do for patients we see here. We’ll make sure they are able to get their medicines and the treatments they need. Their wounds will be cared for and their daily needs will be met, vital signs monitored, telemetry, lab work, all of that will be done,” said St. John’s Mercy nurse Marilyn Welling.

Messages to Pat Kenny rsm - Institute Communications or Stephanie Heiland - Institute External Communications Manager, will be forwarded

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Updated 7.35am Melbourne time 27/5

By May 30, the Sisters of Mercy Health System will be opening a 60-bed mobile hospital near the site of the original hospital for emergencies, x-rays, lab, and in-patient care. Longer term plans for the hospital are being discussed. Click here for the latest updates from the Sisters of Mercy Health System and to make donations.

St. John's Regional Medical Center, a Sisters of Mercy Health System hospital, took a direct hit. The hospital sustained extensive damage and was completely evacuated. Despite the heroic efforts of Mercy co-workers, five patients and one unidentified visitor lost their lives.

Mercy Village, a 60-unit senior housing development, also sustained substantial damage and was evacuated. No residents were harmed. Renovations to the building have been estimated to take eight months. Residents will not be able to return until this time. Donations to help with these repairs at Mercy Village can be made by clicking here.

McAuley High was not damaged and is being used as a triage center.

Sisters of Mercy and Mercy Associates residing in Joplin, MO, were not injured.

The Sisters of Mercy first arrived in the Joplin community in 1885.

Please keep the Joplin community and our Mercy patients and co-workers in your prayers. Click here to post your prayers.

If you would like to help spread the word on the latest happenings in Joplin, see the Sisters of Mercy Health System's Facebook page and Twitter feed.

The photo above shows the only thing on the Joplin hospital campus that was untouched by the tornado. Additional images of the destruction to Mercy Village can be viewed here and see the health system's album for photos of St. John's Regional Medical Center and its campus.

Messages to Pat Kenny rsm - Institute Communications or Stephanie Heiland - Institute External Communications Manager, will be forwarded

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Updated 7.10am Mebourne time 25/5

May 23, 2011, 5 p.m.
Mercy thanks the courageous doctors, nurses and other caregivers who evacuated 183 patients after a tornado struck St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Joplin, Mo., Sunday evening. A number of Mercy caregivers themselves were injured. Their selfless efforts put their patients first and resulted in a timely and orderly evacuation.

In spite of these heroic efforts, Mercy is saddened to confirm that five patients lost their lives. The families of the patients have been notified. In addition, an unidentified visitor was among those who perished. Authorities have been working to determine the identity of the visitor and to notify the family.

Mercy is working with emergency response agencies, city and state officials, and other health care organizations to follow up on those patients who were evacuated from the hospital Sunday evening. In ongoing dialogue with the Governor and his office, Mercy has brought to bear our resources from other communities across four states. These resources have included providing supplies at the Memorial Hall triage center and to Freeman Health System. Nurses, physicians and others from across Mercy have rallied in support of their Joplin co-workers and the Joplin community.

As reported earlier in the day, medical records have been found throughout the area. Mercy is asking anyone who has found medical records or information that appears to be related to patient care to hold these documents, as we determine a process for collecting them. Please respect the privacy of any records you may have, and we will advise about the process for returning them to Mercy shortly.

We have received offers of support from across the country. Mercy is accepting donations to assist the victims of the tornado through www.mercy.net. We appreciate the generosity that has been extended to Mercy and to the Joplin community.

Mercy stands committed to continuing to provide high quality medical care in Joplin and we will hold meetings in the near future to discuss employment logistics.

All Mercy co-workers in Joplin are reminded that they do not need to report to work, unless they are specifically called to be a part of the emergency response team. Mercy Joplin co-workers are encouraged to call 888-986-3729 to account for their safety and needs, and to determine the best way to share information with them in the days ahead.
For more information, contact:
Joanne Cox – 620-330-3006
Tina Rockhold – 620-224-8842
Nancy Corbett – 405-615-6674

Please note that cell phone service into the Joplin area has been intermittent.

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Tornado Hits Mercy Hospital in Joplin, Missouri

May 23, 2011 - Last evening a tornado struck Joplin, Missouri in the southwestern part of the state. St. John's Regional Medical Center, a Sisters of Mercy Health System hospital, took a direct hit. The hospital sustained extensive damage and was completely evacuated. It is unknown how many of the 183 hospitalized patients were injured as a result of the tornado. Patients were transported by various means to hospitals across the region, including to St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, another Sisters of Mercy hospital.

Sisters of Mercy and,to the best of our knowledge, Mercy Associates residing in Joplin, MO, were not injured.

Please keep the Joplin community and our Mercy patients and co-workers in your prayers.

Regular updates on the Mercy response to the Joplin Tornado are being posted on www.mercy.net and on the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas website www.sistersofmercy.org

Due to the disaster the St John's website www.stj.com is temporarily unavailable.

Messages to Pat Kenny rsm - Institute Communications or Stephanie Heiland - Institute External Communications Manager, will be forwarded

Photo: the image shows the only item on Joplin campus that was untouched by the tornado